Table of ContentsCauses of Small Arms ProliferationInadequate Border Control: CorruptionEnvironmental InfluenceNational Security Implications of Small ArmsCauses of Small Arms ProliferationEconomic Structure of Nigeria has created space for poverty. Generally speaking, capitalism is exploitative and only survives through its ability to perpetually and internationally enslave the poor. Widespread poverty is behind the proliferation of small arms in Nigeria, despite Nigeria's status as a major oil exporting country. There is therefore a strong contradiction between the fact that Nigeria is the 6th largest oil exporter in the world and the largest economy in Africa, but the fact remains that the standard of living in Nigeria is the 36th lowest in the world in terms of human development indicators (HDI). According to the 2002 United Nations Human Development Index report, life expectancy at birth is less than 50 years for both men and women. Nigeria's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.462, placing it at 148th position out of a total of 178 countries (Ebo, 2002: 18). Nigeria is behind Ghana (0.548), Zimbabwe (0.5551), Kenya (0.513) and Togo (0.493). As a result, people living in poverty are more vulnerable to manipulation coupled with theft and violent crimes involving the use of weapons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe 2016 World Bank poverty report confirmed that poverty levels among Nigerians were higher in 2016 than in the 1990s (World Bank, 2016). Employment opportunities and infrastructure are mainly concentrated in urban centers or constituencies loyal to the ruling political parties. This fuels crisis and inequality as these disadvantaged or excluded groups express their grievances using small arms against the state. Widespread poverty and limited economic opportunities in Nigeria have been exploited by Boko Harma, terrorist herdsmen, Niger Delta militants and non-violent indigenous peoples of Biafra to recruit and radicalize poor, uneducated and vulnerable people through distribution of money. Rural-urban migration created scope for Fulani settlement and reclamation of property, and at the same time, it wreaked havoc on many communities, leading to the killing of innocent Nigerians. Inadequate Border Control: Nigeria is a vast country covering 923,768 square kilometers with over 36,450 kilometers of land and sea borders. Nigeria shares its land borders with four countries: Benin (773 km), Cameroon (1,690 km). Niger (1049 km) and Chad (87 km). The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed that there are 1,487 illegal routes into Nigeria across borders (Abayomi, 2013:1). Surveillance on these vast roads poses problems. In Borno State, for example, due to the porous nature of the border with Cameroon, the border area is easily accessible at any point by various means of transport during the dry season, thus making all efforts of the government aimed in the fight against illegal aliens, bandits and traffickers in small arms and light weapons are ineffective. In 2013, Cameroonian security forces arrested a man who was transporting 655 firearms to Nigeria and another 5,400 AK47s were also intercepted in Marona, in the Northern region of Cameroon for the same destination(Oxfam, 2017: 12). In this regard, Albert Akpor (2012: 3) notes that most of the Boko Haram sect's weapons enter the country through the Apapa quay and the northern borders of the republics of Chad, Mali and Niger. The small arms were evacuated in tankers with the help of some members of the authorized security agencies who are part of the border group. The tankers normally pass through all checkpoints until arriving at their destination where their contents are evacuated again to the designated mosque. Furthermore, the Libyan and Malian crises have worsened the nature of the circulation, misuse and abuse of small arms and light weapons throughout Africa. This became detrimental to the whole of West Africa, particularly Nigeria, as these large quantities of arms exported to the West African sub-region encouraged human rights violations. man and fostered violent conflicts and high mortality rates. Corruption The proliferation of small arms in West Africa is linked to the structural collapse of institutions that have long suffered from pervasive political and social problems. Illegal arms sales by police and soldiers were the main source of arms supply. These security agents are known to illegally sell or rent weapons. According to President Olusegun Obasanjo, during his monthly interview with the National Television Authority on December 2, 2001, most of the ammunition comes to us... from security agencies... from the police... from the army. It was only recently that we discovered that 3,000 cartridges were sold here in Abuja by the police and in Jos by the army (Obasanjo, 2001). The miserable living and working conditions imposed on the people by the rulers were the factors behind these horrific developments. . This situation not only generates corruption but also encourages the agents themselves to turn to delinquency. These security agents rented their weapons to criminals to enable them to commit crimes and fulfill most of their unmet needs. This was evident in February 2016, when some Nigerian soldiers were arrested for illegally selling small arms to Boko Haram insurgents. These supplied weapons included a smoke grenade, 2,136 live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 50 live rounds of 7.6mm ammunition, 5 AK47 magazines, and 2 live Browning machine gun rounds (Okibe 2016: 20). The environment brought about by the negative impact of colonialism has created a breeding ground for conflict in Nigeria. Colonialism had fixed itself on Africa like a steel grid whose flow exceeded credit. Of all the colonial legacies established in Nigeria, the worst was the amalgamation of two strange bedfellows from the Northern and Southern Protectorates, which is the hallmark of ethnic cleansing and religious violence. European colonialists sowed discord and conflict by forcing two incompatible groups, with divergent ethnic hues and colors, to live together. The seed of discord sown by the colonialists germinated with much economic and socio-political insecurity, which the benefactors used at will against the indigenous peoples. Furthermore, the granting of independence by the colonialists had a tinge of corruption. The colonialists created an ill-conceived political arrangement in which pragmatic political power was in the hands of a Prime Minister from the North and a figurehead called President from the South. Therefore, the colonialist who leaves; because a dubious and diabolical intention has distorted the Nigerian configuration to politically favor the North against those who were demanding independence. In this context, we see that thecolonialists did not make subtle efforts to encourage unity or integration; rather, they stoked the embers of ethnic rivalries and conflicts. This seems to be the source of the tragic failings in our efforts to protect ourselves. McNezer Fashun (2009: 5) notes that the land mine was well prepared to deal with predictable political crises. These colonial misadventures, among others, incited populations of different ethnic groups to stand at loggerheads and created an environment conducive to the acquisition, misuse and misuse of small arms. Implications of small arms on national security Small arms have not only intensified the intensity of armed conflicts in Nigeria but are also responsible for the majority of deaths, massive internal displacement of local populations and socio-insecurity. economic and political. During the indigenous-settler crisis in Jos (2003), the Fulani population in the North and South Langtang Local Government Areas were totally ransacked, and only pockets of Muslim settlements remained. manner; The non-Muslim population fled Shendam, Quan an Pan, Wuse and Langtang local government areas. According to the Global Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Project, at least 10,000 people have been killed and 8,000,000 people displaced by outbreaks of communal violence across the country (Forguin and Berman, 2005: 33). Between late December 2003 and January 2004, at least 10,000 residents of Babangida, Dankalawar, Geidam and Kanamma towns in Yobe State fled their homes due to fighting between Al-Sunna Wal-Jamma, also known as the name Boko Haram, and government forces. In 2003, violence between security forces and the Niger Delta Ijaw communities led to the displacement of approximately 4,000 people. Between 2006 and 2014, statistics from Nigeria's Match Data database indicate that the country recorded a total of 615 violent deaths attributable to Fulani herdsmen in 2003, in addition to 61,314 violent deaths committed by the same group (Olayokun2014:3 ). In the same vein, the British Broadcasting Corporation report on the violence of Fulani farmers and herdsmen states that between 2001 and 2014, the crises caused the death of 50,000 people, including nearly 35,000 women and children (BBC, 2017). According to UNDP estimates, 24,771 people were killed and 5,507 injured between 2011 and 2015, with most deaths occurring in Nigeria (UNDP: 2017). In July 2014, Nigeria was estimated to have recorded the highest number of terrorist killings in the world, with a recorded number of 3,477, in addition to the 6,600 people killed in 146 attacks. Since the start of the insurgency in 2009, terrorist groups have killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.3 million people from their homes (Time Magazine 2015: 14). The prominence of these reports paints Nigeria as a killing field of innocent citizens, right in the middle of the coercive agents of the state. The brazenness with which Fulani herdsmen, sometimes called the foot soldiers of Boko Haram, have massacred settled communities and razed villages is not just a problem. sad reminder but also a stark reminder of the enormous security challenges in Nigeria. The terrorist group has a seemingly unlimited supply of heavy weapons, vehicles, bombs and munitions that it uses to kill with unfathomable wantonness. The activities of Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and government inaction have increased food insecurity, hardship and underdevelopment as many farmers abandoned their farmlands and migrated to urban centers for safety. Research carried out by the UK Department for International Development between 2013and 2016 show that the crises caused the country an estimated loss of $14 billion in three years. Additionally, states affected by herder-farmer conflicts lost an average of 47% of their taxes (internally generated revenue) during attacks (DFID, 2017). Another tragic flaw of our nation was the clamor for a cattle colony which the Buhari federal government attempted to curtail. forcing communities to abandon their natural heritage (land) for cows at the expense of food crops and farmers' livelihoods. But we should not be in a hurry to forget that the north has a vast territory that covers more than 80% of Nigeria's surface area. The consequences of poor land management have plunged breeders into a violent struggle for land in the South. These attacks and the illegal acquisition of agricultural land in southern Nigeria for grazing constitute a time bomb that will determine the future of Nigeria when it finally explodes. The propensity for small arms in Nigeria threatens not only the existence of the state but also the livelihoods of the people. millions of people across the country. The situation casts doubt on the essence of government and its security or primary function. The number of guns in unauthorized possession is alarming and, despite occasional seizures, the resupply network is filling the gap by a hundred. In October 2016, the Rivers State Police Command arrested a Nigerian importer and dealer of prohibited firearms and recovered hundreds of G3, AK47 and Berretta automatic rifles (Wellington 2017: 20). In Anambra State, weapons found in the love of a kidnap kingpin have created in the psyche of well-informed Nigerians that the nation is not just sitting on a barrel of gunpowder, but that it could descend into armed violence if the proliferation of small arms and light weapons was not checked. These weapons include: 27AK47 rifles, one 1K2 rifle, 2 types of 06 rifles, one general-purpose machine gun, one rocket launcher, 17 rocket rifles, six pump-action pistols, 3 Dane pistols, one Beretta I pistol, and 13 grenades rocket. Also included are 12,800 rounds of live Ak47 ammunition, 530 rounds of LAR ammunition, 95 rounds of live general purpose machine gun ammunition and 143 magazines (Ujumadu, 2012; 33). Between 2012 and 2016, on 17 different occasions at various points of entry. Nigerian customs have seized more than 60,000 cartridges imported into the country from the United States and Europe. More than 288 rifles, 35 rocket-propelled rifles and imposed explosive devices (IEDs), including pistols, mortars, submachine guns, ammunition of various calibers, 50 Cameroonian passports and a Toyota jeep were recovered by Cameroonian security forces with two suspected arms traffickers. (Adeniyi, 2016: 25). Another arrest of a terrorist in a green Peugeot vehicle resulted in the recovery of 15AK47 rifles, 12 magazines and various unassembled rifles (Ibe, 2016: 40). In 2015, over 5,078 weapons and 11,917 ammunition were recovered from armed robbers, kidnappers and cultists by the Rivers State Police Command. Besides, 243 armed robbers and kidnappers were killed in various shootouts with security operatives across the state. On April 19, 2016, police recovered 20AK47 rifles, 70 daneguns, 30 double-barreled shotguns and over 1,000 live rounds, mainly from Fulani herdsmen, in Delta State (Oxfam2016:32). Even the burning guns program carried out by the Federal Government to destroy small arms recovered from criminals in various states, such as the “Zamfara 5000, Benue 600, Katsina 425” guns,.